About your kit:

Our natural indigo fermentation vat dye kit is a great kit to introduce you to the magic of nature’s beautiful blues!

We offer two indigo dye kits; both kits use pure, natural indigo and are dyed using a ‘reduction’ process. In this kit, the reduction is achieved by using fructose which naturally ferments to remove the oxygen from the vat. Combined with the calcium hydroxide (‘slaked’ or ‘builders’ lime), the indigo is made soluble and converts into leuco indigo (indigo white). The vat is a greeny-yellow at this stage.

When the yarns, fabrics or fibres are introduced into the vat, the leuco indigo attaches to the fibres. At this stage, it is still in its soluble form.

Once the materials are removed from the vat (after just a few minutes) they are a greeny-yellow. As they are exposed to the air, the indigo returns to its insoluble form and the magical blue appears. It really is fascinating to watch!

In your kit you will find:

• 20g Pure Indigo powder
• 100g fructose
• 100g calcium hydroxide
• Gloves and measuring spoon
• Comprehensive dye instruction booklet written by Debbie Tomkies specially for this kit

If you would like to buy top-up ingredients, you can buy our indigo, fructose and calcium hydroxide separately.

Who is this kit suitable for?

This kit takes a little more time to produce a balanced vat than our standard indigo kit (which uses either thiourea dioxide ‘thiox’ or sodium hydrosulphite ‘hydros’ and sodium carbonate – ingredients used in laundry products).

However, many people prefer this use of natural sugars and enjoy the slower process. And once your vat is established there’s no need to throw it away! A vat can be kept active for many months, if not years, simply by refreshing the ingredients when you next want to dye.

If you have some experience of indigo dyeing and want to move onto a more natural method, this kit will be perfect for you. 

For a complete beginner, with the comprehensive instructions included in the kit you should be able to set up a successful vat and produce stunning fabrics, yarns and fibres from the palest pastels to rich blues.

If you are looking for a quicker vat you may find our standard indigo kit is a little easier to use.